A Slice of Our Life
by 2inlove
Summary: Oh Nina Howard, I wish I could quit writing you. But you bring my two favorite characters together so perfectly.


It was a cold December day. It had jumped from 60 degrees to 20 degrees in what felt like mere days. As Will McAvoy walked to the ACN building, he went to take his hands out of his pockets to open the door for the lady who usually was usually beside him. Smiling to himself, he realized that there was no one beside him, how in such a short time, he grown accustomed to having Mackenzie McHale by his side outside of the newsroom.

After saying his good mornings to the staff passing him by, he glided into his fiancee's office. Everyone still giggled a bit at the change in Will McAvoy's demenor since election night. His usually gruff exterior had melted away and left behind a much more pleasant, smiling man. Although if events with the ongoing trial or an upsetting article had coming out regarding Genoa, old Will McAvoy would rare his head. But for the most part, Will was happier than anyone had ever seen him. He was a man in love. And it was a sight for all to see.

"Morning." He said opening her door.

"Hey there." She looked up at him smiling, with her reading glasses at the end of her nose.

Will walked over to the side of her and laid a kiss on her head.

"Missed you last night."

"I can tell. You haven't taken your coat off yet." She grinned.

"How did packing go?"

Mac grimaced, "Ugh. Wonderful. I have way too many things for a person who is never at her own apartment."

"I could have helped you." He replied smiling, plopping down in the chair in front of her desk.

"I know. I just didn't want to bother you. I feel like you're doing so much already renovating the apartment."

"Well, is it almost done?" He asked.

"I am all done. I'm going to call the movers this weekend and on Saturday, we will officially be cohabitants." She beamed at him.

Will looked at her.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, it's just…I just can't believe this is real." He was grinning from ear to ear.

"I know. I feel like I'm going to wake up and you're still going to be hating me."

"Mac, I never…"

Sensing she hit a nerve, she got up and immediately sat in his lap, grabbing his face with both of her hands.

"Shut up."

Kissing him hard, he obeyed.

"I love you. I know you don't hate me. We're okay now and from here, we will always be okay, except, if you're late for rundown, I will kill you."

Will smirked at her and nodded his head in understanding.

He headed for the door and she turned her heel to walk back to her desk, but before he made it to the door he had a change of plans and grabbed her hand to pull her close. His lips touched hers again soft this time.

His lips only inches away from hers, he whispered, "You look really nice today."

Then he smiled cheekily and walked out of the office leaving a speechless and blushing Mac in his wake.

By 11:00 pm, the show was over, Will having just signed off for the night. Surprisingly even though viewer's trust had gone down considerably, the ratings had shot up. Apparently the audience was dying to know what their next move was going to be. Mac had decided in a wildcard move to read hate mail and have Will counterpoint the viewer mail at the end of every show and it was working. People were standing behind the "Little Show that Could" at the New York Times penned it.

Mac removed her headset.

"Good show, guys. Thanks." She said as everyone got ready for Don and Elliot. Will stood at the door, waiting for her with his eyes on phone like he did every night since they had gotten engaged. He opened the door for her, still looking at his phone.

"Something interested?" She asked, taking a sip of her Fiji water bottle.

"Nina Howard…" He started, as she nearly spit out her water.

"Well there's a name I thought I'd hoped I'd never…I mean never thought I'd hear again."

They walked together to Will's office.

"Yeah, she wants to meet for dinner. What do I say?"

"Seriously?" She smiled at him incredulously, not quite believing the absurdity coming from his mouth.

"Well, I mean I was kind of a jerk."

"Billy…"

"She could have dinner with us."

"Well, nothing could possibly go wrong with this scenario. A date with your current fiancée and your ex-girlfriend."

"Would you rather I go alone?"

"I'd rather you'd not go at all, Will."

"You're right. I completely understand and if this were any other ex-girlfriend I would agree with you, it's just that I didn't really break things off with her the way I should have and I feel bad."

She looked at him for a moment, anger brewing.

"I thought you could do this."

"What? What are you talking about?" He looked stunned.

"I thought…this is it. He's forgiven me. He loves me and wants to marry me."

"Mackenzie…"

"But you're still punishing me."

"Mac stop it."

She wiped away a tear.

"It's fine. I just need a night."

"Stop. Mac. Don't be ridiculous. Your apartment is in boxes. Come home with me. We can talk."

"I don't want to talk. I just want you to think about where your head is at. I love you. I need you to love me back and if you can't do it, then you need to come to grips with that now."

She kissed him on the forehead and walked out of the office this time leaving him the one speechless.

"So are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to have to beat it out of you?" Sloan asked, pulling Mac out of whatever reverie she was in.

She had asked Sloan out for drinks after the Will fiasco, because going back to an apartment filled with boxes that she may have to unpack seemed more depressing than she could handle. Sloan took a swig of her shiraz and waited intently for Mac's answer.

"What do you mean?" Mac asked.

"I mean why are drinking cheap red wine with me and not making out with William in the big, fancy apartment of his…yours…both of yours?"

"We had a fight."

"Of course. I knew the honeymoon period would be over soon."

"What did you do?"

"Why do I have to do something? Can't he do something? Honestly!"

"Okay then, what did _he _do?" Sloan corrected herself.

"He wanted to go out for dinner with…her…oh no. This is bad."

Mac suddenly tried hide under the table, confusing her dear friend.

"Mackenzie…what in the world…"

Sloan was cut off when she saw a familiar face walking towards there table.

"Nina Howard. This is should be good."

Nina stood and glanced at Mackenzie or tried to hide that she was hiding by making it look like she was looking for something.

"Mackenzie."

"Nina. Hi there. How are you?"

"I hear that congratulations are in order." She said with a genuine smile.

"Congratulations?"

"The engagement? Congrats. It's really wonderful."

"Oh, thank you." She said, feeling a twinge of pain her gut.

"Your ring is exquisite. He has remarkable taste." Nina said, glancing at the diamond.

"Yes, he aims to please." She returned demurely.

"Well, I'm not sorry to make this exchange awkward, but I had e-mailed Will this evening about dinner and I wasn't clear about the details and I feel rather bad about that. I have some things to return to him and I wanted some closure. We didn't really end things well and I didn't really handle things the best that I could have. I just wanted to make that clear to you, that I that dinner invitation was nothing more than that."

Mackenzie smiled in relief, "Thank you. It was very kind of you to take the time to come over and explain that to me. Really. Thank you, Nina."

"Mackenzie…" Nina started but stopped.

"What?"

"Mackenzie, you were always the one. No one else ever stood a chance. Definitely not me."

"What makes you say that?"

"He's madly in love with you. Anyone can see that…"

Mackenzie looked at her, knowing there was more that Nina wanted to say.

"Did he ever tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"The night you called me to ask me about what the voicemail said the night Bin Laden was killed. I didn't tell you everything."

Tears came to Mac's eyes. The message. She had almost forgotten about the message.

"What did it say?"

"Maybe he should tell you."

"If I were to tell you right now that I really need to hear what that message said, would you just tell me without asking a lot of questions?"

"Mackenzie…"

"Nina, please. I need to know right now. What did the message say?"

Nina thought for a moment and then pursed her lips. She then reached in her purse and pulled out a jump drive. Taking Mackenzie's hand, she placed it in her palm and folded her fingers of over the device.

"You should really hear it from him."

She held both of Mackenzie's hands and held back tears. Mackenzie felt for Nina, Will was a hard person to lose.

Before leaving Nina turned and said, "Tell Will to forget about dinner. I'll mail him his things. I think I've had enough closure."

Mackenzie stood there stunned with a jump drive in hand in the middle of crowded bar with her fiancée's ex-girlfriend walking away from her.

"I've got my laptop." Sloan broke the silence.

"Do it." Mac said simply.

Sloan pulled out her laptop from the case with sense of urgency. Mackenzie, still standing, handed her the jump drive.

"Moment of truth. You ready?"

"I need to sit down."

She pulled up a chair beside Sloan and listened:

_Hi Mac. It's me Will. Listen I'm not just saying this because I'm high. And if the answer's no, then just don't mention this. But I have to say after tonight…I have to say I never stopped loving you. You were spectacular tonight. Do you believe we got Obama? Anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Bye._

Mackenzie let her tears fall. Sloan closed the lid on her laptop and sat back waiting for Mackenzie to speak. When no words came.

"He's got it bad for you."

"Yeah."

"He really loves you, Mac."

"Yeah."

"Why are you still here?"

"I don't know." She immediately got up and pulled on her coat. She was about to run out when she stopped.

"Money for the wine!"

"GO MAC!"

"Going!"

Mackenzie paid an outrageous amount for the cab driver to drive as fast he could to Will's place…their place? Who knew at this point? After almost running over three pedestrians, two parking cones, and a possible concussion from the roof, they were there.

Mackenzie smiled at the doorman.

"Ms. McHale, pardon my intrusion, but Mr. McAvoy is a bit…inebriated tonight. Just thought I should warn you."

"Thank you, Manny. I'll take of him."

She put her key in the door and was about to open it when the door opened for her and standing in front of her was a very drunk, messy, and slightly emotionally unstable Will McAvoy.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, his eyes rimmed in red.

"Oh Billy. I know." She opened her arms and welcomed him as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. It was an incredibly stupid thing to suggest.

"Come here, let's get you to bed."

"You're not mad at me?"

"Not at all."

Once to the bedroom, she helped him change out of his clothes and into his sweatpants and t-shirt that he wore to bed.

"Go lay down."

She changed her clothes as he lay in their bed, his head spinning from being wasted and from the day's events.

"I don't get it. Why aren't you mad at me?"

"Because I know you love me and I'm sorry that I was too insecure to see what you needed to with Nina."

"Nina was a way for me to try to get over you. I can't get over you. I can never get over you. I'm in love with you."

"I know, Billy." She slid into bed beside him, resting her hand on his chest.

"We're still getting married?" He asked, drunkenly.

"Yep."

"I won't ever suggest dinner with Nina again."

"Will, you give Nina what she needs, if that means dinner that's fine."

"Wait…what…really?"

"Yeah."

"Why the change of heart?"

"Nina was never the problem. I started to doubt if this was real. If eventually, you were going to stop loving me like you did before when we broke up and you couldn't actually forgive me for everything. And then I realized…"

"I never stopped…"

"You never stopped."

Will closed his eyes.

"So you finally heard it." He whispered.

"Yes, I did."

"Was it everything you hoped it would be?"

She wrapped her arms around him tight and ran her lips over his jawline, "You know, Billy it was. But the truth is, I like hearing it like this, live and in person, a lot more."


End file.
